Question 1

Which level of government should be consulted when making food safety decisions, listing the most important (first) resource to last resource?

Accepted Answer

Local then State then Federal is the order in which to consult when making food safety decisions. First, check the Local ordinances for your food safety requirements, such as the City or County department of health. Second, you should research the State government requirements to make sure you comply with them. Thirdly, you would use Federal resources. The Federal government gives the burden of food safety standards to the States when it comes to restaurants, since the State inspects restaurants. Some Cities, such as New York City, have their own set or requirements. This means that NYC officials will inspect your restaurant instead of State or County representatives. For this reason, it is important to first check the Local requirements, followed by the State requirements, and finally using Federal resources for general information.

Question 2

What pathogen is the greatest risk found in raw chicken?

Accepted Answer

Salmonella is the greatest risk found in raw chicken. Salmonella is a bacteria associated with poultry and egg products causing nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, headache, chills, and prostration. To prevent this pathogen from becoming a risk in your restaurant, cook the chicken thoroughly, avoid cross-contamination, and use sanitary practices.

Question 3

The model for food safety standards is based on a system called:

Accepted Answer

The model for food safety standards is based on a system called Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HAACP). This system is used to assess risks in your restaurant, as well as pinpoint critical areas regarding food safety and critical steps that should always be followed. The HACCP model is the ideal system for setting up a trainer to trainee system of food safety, ensuring that managers and lower employees understand their risks and roles in preventing such risks.

Question 4

Food Safety is of particular importance for which of the following groups?

Accepted Answer

All of the above. While food safety risks are of concern to all people, children, the elderly, as well as people with deficient immune systems have a particular risk for food borne illness. This is due to the fragile nature of their immune systems. While adults might get sick from certain food borne pathogens (or even worse, die), children under the age of six, the elderly, and the immunodeficient tend to become sick quicker and the level of sickness is usually much more sever. For these reasons, it is important to be specifically careful when serving the three listed groups of people.

Question 5

For any workstation within a kitchen, the following article(s) should always be found:

Accepted Answer

All of the above. To prevent contamination from your hands to raw foods served to your customers (such as salads), it is important to always have plastic gloves at each workstation in the kitchen. To prevent surface contamination of microbes, a red bucket full of diluted bleach should be at each station as well. No other red buckets should be found in the kitchen so that only red buckets are recognized as sanitation buckets. Finally, some form of head gear, such as plastic, paper, or mesh hats should be placed at each station to prevent hair from falling into the food.

Question 6

What is the first action someone should take when entering the restaurant for a work shift?

Accepted Answer

Upon entering the restaurant for a work shift, someone should first wash their hands. Washing your hands is the first action you should take when entering the restaurant for a shift since this reduces the risk of microbes, viruses, and other pathogens from making contact with any surface within the kitchen, front of house work station, as well as many other areas that are used throughout the day.

Question 7

To avoid foods spoiling in the refrigerator or freezer, which of the following actions is always recommended?

Accepted Answer

Placing a date of arrival on all foods that enter the restaurant helps to avoid food spoilage since it gives you a firm answer as to when the food arrived. From here, you can determine the shelf life of the individual ingredient so that there is no question as to the freshness. While the remaining answers might have some merit, they are incomplete and do not assure the date of entry into the restaurant.

Question 8

The minimum internal temperature at which poultry products should always be cooked is:

Accepted Answer

Poultry should always be cooked to 165 °F. This ensures that all pathogens related to the poultry are completely killed during the cooking process.

Question 9

When you are not feeling well and have a sore throat or diarrhea, you should:

Accepted Answer

You should stay at home when you are feeling sick. This is especially true when you feel like you have a sore throat, have diarrhea, or have a fever. The reason for this safety precaution is due to the fact that you can get other people sick rather easily when you are sick. During the first couple of days of your illness, this is even more so.

Question 10

The "Danger Zone" for biological growth in food is defined as:

Accepted Answer

The Danger Zone for biological food contamination is defined as the temperature range of 40 °F to 140 °F. Within this temperature zone, harmful bacteria, viruses, and pathogens can grow within a food and reproduce. For this reason, it is important to limit the amount of time you keep a food in this range to a minimum.

Question 11

The three categories of food contaminants are best described as:

Accepted Answer

The three categories of food contaminants are Chemical, Biological, and Physical Hazards. All hazards found within a restaurant environment can be placed into these three categories so it is important to think of all three categories when making food safety decisions.

Question 12

Foods should not be kept in the Danger Zone for more than:

Accepted Answer

Food should not be kept in the Danger Zone for more than four hours. Any amount of time more than four hours is considered long enough to allow food pathogens to grow to dangerous levels within food.

Question 13

The correct time to wash your hands is after which one of the following events?

Accepted Answer

All of the above mentioned events are the correct time to wash your hands. Hand washing is perhaps the most important aspect of food sanitation, so it is important to constantly wash your hands to avoid food safety issues.

Question 14

Which of the following is considered a proper food contact surface?

Accepted Answer

A stainless steel surface is considered a proper food contact surface. The reason for this distinction is due to fact that stainless steel is easy to clean and will not allow small microbes to grow inside the surface of the metal. Copper and lead are both considered chemical hazards, while plastic surfaces will readily allow microbes to grow on the surface even if constant washing occurs.

Question 15

If a customer chokes on a piece of food, the following action can help:

Accepted Answer

The Heimlich maneuver is the correct action to take if someone is choking on a piece of food. If the situation cannot be solved immediately, you should call an ambulance to assist or/and take the person to the hospital.

Question 16

To help employees understand the local ordinances of food safety, the following actions are recommended:

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is C. Posting signs that detail the basic food safety techniques will help employees understand the local ordinances of food safety. Much of the time, companies that supply your cleaning agents will have these signs and will give them to you. While they are not extensive, they serve as the best method to remind people of their food handling responsibilities. While this answer is the best choice, having daily discussions regarding food safety will also help tremendously.

Question 17

Some signs of rodent infestation include:

Accepted Answer

All of the above listed answers are signs that a rodent infestation has occurred in the restaurant. To correct this matter, it is important to keep all foods in sealed plastic containers and call a pest company to help eliminate the rodent problem. If foods have been contaminated, you should throw them away.

Question 18

To determine if your chemical sanitizing buckets in the kitchen are of the correct potency, you should:

Accepted Answer

Use chemical testing strips to determine if your chemical sanitizing buckets are of the correct potency. Using too much of a chemical is just as harmful as using too little, so it is important that you use chemical test strips to determine if your sanitizing liquid is in the correct concentration range.

Question 19

Foods that have a water activity of 0.85 or above are considered:

Accepted Answer

Potentially hazardous foods are foods that have a water activity of 0.85 or above. This critical value of water activity indicates that a food is susceptible to food borne pathogens. Therefore, any food above this limit should be given special care in a restaurant environment. Special care includes refrigeration, limiting the amount of time in the Danger Zone, and marking these foods with the date of entry into the restaurant.

Question 20

Hand Sanitizers are an acceptable form of hand sanitation because:

Accepted Answer

Hand sanitizers are not an acceptable form of hand sanitation because they do not kill all forms of food hazards. Hand sanitizers cannot remove chemical or physical hazards and only kill 99.9% of bacteria. Since there are billions of bacteria on your hands, millions will survive, even if 99.9% are killed. For these reasons, the only form of acceptable hand sanitation is to properly wash your hands.

Quiz 1: Food Safety